Reporting

Profile of a potential commissioner: Melissa Brown

September 15, 2010 by Melissa San Miguel

The Citizens Redistricting Commission selection process is approaching the end of a critical stage this week as more than 120 semi-finalists are being interviewed. The applicant pool will be narrowed to the 60 most qualified people sometime after September 13. The final panel of 14 members will redraw the state’s political boundaries based on the 2010 Census, a process that will involve hearings and testimony from citizens across the state. The following is a brief profile in a series being offered by California Forward as we closely monitor this critical selection process.

Candidate: Melissa Brown

Melissa Brown is the current executive director for the Nehemiah Community Foundation, which provides grants to nonprofits working for under-served communities in the Sacramento region. A native Sacramentan, she says she hopes to join the Redistricting Commission to utilize her skill-set to help transform California public policy and representation to better meet the needs of our rapidly changing state.

Brown has worked in the education field in a variety of capacities. She has served as Assistant Superintendent for the Sacramento City Unified School District and managed its Health Services Department, which provided social services and medical support to enhance student achievement. She was also the Executive Director of the California Small School District Association, which represents over 700 small school districts, or two-thirds of our state’s schools.

Brown earned her degree in educational economics from UC Davis and has served on the boards of various community organizations, including Freedom from Hunger, an international micro-enterprise development and hunger relief agency.